1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dessert compositions, and more particularly to free-flowing instant dessert powders which contain real liquid honey, and to the preparation thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, numerous kinds of instant dessert compositions have been formulated and placed on the market. Such prior compositions in dry powder form normally have sucrose or other sugars, pregelatinized starch and spray-dried fat emulsions as main ingredients, and they normally are adapted to be made up by the housewife by adding milk, and often whisking the mixture by a beating action to incorporate air. The composition may also include various setting agents, such as phosphates which act on milk, and various natural or artificial flavoring material and colors may also be included. Such made-up products have been highly popular.
The favorable organoleptic qualities of natural honey are well known and, accordingly, there is a strong motivation for including the total flavor and all other desirable characteristics of honey into instant dessert compositions. However, prior to the present invention, the incorporation of honey into instant dessert compositions so that all original and natural characteristics of the honey are retained has not been satisfactorily accomplished. Various dried honeys are available, some commercially, such as for example by spray-drying, foam-mat drying, or vacuum-drying, when in most cases, various adjuncts such as corn syrup solids are encapsulating gums are added to facilitate the drying. Such adjuncts, however, may not be desired as constituents of the finished products. Without adjuncts, dried honeys can be difficult to prepare. Such products have been particularly recommended for use in products for subsequent baking. They do not, nor need not, however, retain all the natural flavoring principles of the original honey, which reside in certain volatile compounds, according to source. Freeze-dried honeys, again with or without drying adjuncts may be prepared, but may also suffer from their rather hygroscopic properties, making difficulty in subsequent handling, and lack of some of the original flavoring principles. A further property of natural honey is its diastatic activity due to the presence of a natural enzyme, diastase, which is lost by processing methods which involve removal of water by heating. Compositions in which dried honeys have been mixed into powder compositions may provide instant desserts, but, for the reasons given, these prior compositions do not provide the desired honey flavor, nor contain all the elements of real honey.